The shock on Kirsty's face was so amusing, so satisfying that Alodie almost started laughing.
It took Kirsty seconds to recover and the shock on her face quickly gave way to rage.
She raised her hand, ready to retaliate when the sound of footsteps stopped her.
"Kirsty!" Mr. Rhodes' thunderous voice echoed through the living room.
Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes stood at the bottom of the staircase, their faces a mask of parental concern. They hurriedly mat=rched up to meet the girls.
"What is going on here?" Mrs. Rhodes asked, her gaze sweeping over the scene, her narrowed eyes lingering on Kirsty's reddened cheek.
Kirsty's lower lip began to tremble. "Mom, Dad," she whimpered, her voice choked with tears. "Alodie… she hit me."
Mrs. Rhodes rushed to her daughter's side, her arms wrapping around her in a protective hug. She glared at Alodie over Kirsty's shoulder, her expression hardening. "How could you?" she accused. "After everything we've done for you. This is how you repay our kindness?"
Mr. Rhodes' jaw was tight, his disappointment a palpable feeling in the room. "Apologize to your sister right now, Alodie," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "or else."
Alodie's gaze drifted from the tearful Kirsty to the angry Mrs. Rhodes to the stern Mr. Rhodes.
She looked at the family portrait hanging above the fireplace. The perfect family. The Rhodes. And where did she belong in that portrait?
They had never welcomed her.
"Or else what?" She asked softly. Shelia's eyes widened in shock and she exchanged glances with her husband.
Alodie had never defied them, she had never even spoken back to them.
A few years in the countryside and she had become a riffraff who dared antagonize them?
"What did you just say?" Mr. Rhodes asked, his voice dangerously low as he took a step forward.
Alodie held his gaze, her own unwavering. "I will not apologise to Kirsty," she said, her voice clear and steady.
She didn't raise it. She didn't need to. The quiet confidence in her tone was more unsettling than any screaming could ever be.
"I didn't hit her. I was leaving but she grabbed my arm. And I pulled my arm away, that's how my hand made contact with her face. So no, I will not apologize for something I didn't do."
Kirsty gasped at the lie and her eyes bulged almost out of her head. She thought about how so many times, she had been the one who would manipulate situations and deny. Alodie was usually the victim but it seemed that now was she trying to turn the tables on her.
Mrs. Rhodes' face twisted in fury. "You ungrateful little.."
"She's lying, Mom, Dad," Kirsty whines, burying her face in her mother's shoulder and sobbing. "She has always been jealous of me. She hates us."
Alodie watched the performance, like a spectator. It was the same old story. Poor, pitiful Kirsty, victimized by the wicked, ungrateful Alodie.
But things were different now. She wasn't that scared, desperate girl anymore.
"I'm not lying," Alodie said, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos erupting around her. "And If I my presence distresses you so much, maybe I should go back to the countryside where I belong."
"Afterall, I have been on my own for the past four years." She said, staring squarely at them. "You invited me here, I did not come looking for your support."
A hush fell over the room. The maids and staff who were watching from a distance froze and glanced at each other, their eyes wide with shock.
Go back to the countryside? She was threatening to leave.
Mr. Rhodes expression darkened. He knew what Alodie's departure would mean.
The Sinclair fortune, the millions they'd been enjoying for years, would be out of their reach.
The thought sent a jolt of pure panic through him, he could not imagine being deprived of his lavish lifestyle.
"That's enough," he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut glass.
He turned to Kirsty, his gaze hard. "Stop crying," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Go to your room."
Kirsty stared at him in shock, her tears forgotten. She couldn't believe it. He was actually taking Alodie's side.
"But, Dad she…"
"Now," he repeated, his eyes flashing with a warning.
Kirsty froze. Her father had never spoken to her like that before, definitely not in defense of Alodie.
Slowly, her gaze shifted to Alodie. And for the first time in her life, she realized something terrifying.
Alodie was no longer cowering before her. I guess I will just have to clip her wings.
Her face was a mixture of shock and betrayal as she glanced at her parents one final time before shooting a venomous glare at Alodie and stomping up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door with a resounding bang.
Mr. Rhodes turned his attention back to Alodie, his expression unreadable. "You will not be going back to the countryside," he said, his voice gruff. "You will stay here. In your room."
"I will no longer sleep in the basement." Alodie announced. "I'm afraid it's bad for my health."
Mr Rhodes gritted his teeth but he plastered on a smile. "But you know there are no other furnished rooms upstairs." He said through gritted teeth. Alodie swung a calculating gaze on them.
"Then maybe I can sleep in Kirsty's room, I'm sure she won't mind."
"I just remembered," Mr Rhodes interrupted her progress "We just got the guest room cleaned out, you can go there."
The thought of his daughter being forced in close quarters with the person who had just slapped her gave him a headache.
Sheila opened her mouth to protest then swallowed what she wanted to say at her husband's harsh glare. "Of course dear, you can use the guest room." she forced a smile.
"Thank you, Mother." Alodie said, tongue in cheek before heading up the stairs, leaving the Rhodes in a state of stunned silence.
As soon as she was out of sight, Mr Rhodes dragged his wife away, "Who does she think she is?" Sheila demanded hotly.
"We only need to bear with her until tonight." Mr Rhode assured her "She will no longer be our problem soon enough, be patient."